Becoming a dad for the first time - week 37
I apologise for not updating the site over the past weeks. I’ve had an eventful month. From coming down with the flu to losing a loved one to cancer. No, baby hasn’t arrived yet. If it had, it would’ve topped the lot.
We had our third and final class of the birthing class series. The final one was about breast feeding. I must admit when Brooke signed me up for this particular class I was wondering why on earth I need to be there. On the day of the class as we were heading to the class I was thinking to myself please I don’t want to be the only male in the class. To my relief there were blokes in that class and I also bumped into a work colleague (another bloke) who was there with the same thoughts as me.
Even though this class is more suited to mothers to be, as the fathers it was good to get information about the importance of breast feeding, the frequency of feeding the baby and the technique of breast feeding. Who would’ve thought there would be a technique involved in getting the baby to feed from the breast? If you get a chance please attend, you know there will be other blokes there too.
We have been busy with cleaning and setting up the baby’s room. We got the carpets cleaned in the house. I put the cot and the bassinet together. The car got detailed and the baby seat was installed. We also got a cooling unit installed for the house.
We’ve had 2 visits the obstetrician since my last update. The verdict is baby is doing fine. We also had another ultra sound. Since the baby has grown you couldn’t see the baby as a whole on the screen. We could only see the baby in sections. The verdict there is the baby is coming along as it should.
With 3weeks to go, Brooke has been struggling quite a bit lately. She has been quite emotional. She has burst into tears for no reason at times. There is nothing you can do to stop it when it happens just shut up and give your partner a back rub or something. She has been getting stomach cramps, leg cramps and back pains. She hasn’t been sleeping well at nights for the reasons mentioned.
Brooke started maternity leave as of last Wednesday, so she worked up to 3 ½ weeks. I think she is struggling to cope with being home by herself and is missing the mental stimulation of her work as well as her friends. She is really missing that her family are 1 ½ hours away and that she can’t call in on them when she is bored or down. One of her best friends is around the corner so I know that provides her with piece of mind in case she goes into labour at home and I am at work.
She also has got this urge to clean all the time. So much so, that I walked into the house the other day after work and I found her doing the ironing. She never irons!! I do all the ironing in the house. She has even woken up in the night and cleaned, it’s crazy. Last night she went to make me a cup of tea, noticed a mark on the stove top and HAD to clean it there and then; it was 20 minutes before we had a cup of tea but the stove gleamed. The house has never looked so good!
Brooke is looking really well. She is carrying rather big, but from behind you can’t tell she is pregnant (except for the waddle). She is the same weight that she was at the start of the pregnancy despite her big belly, so I know she is really happy with that. People are always commenting that she is glowing. She has been lucky as her face has not swelled like some ladies can. Her feet got swollen at the funeral, but her friend told her to put her feet in ice cold water and elevate them on pillows at night and she was lucky that they have been normal since.
People have been so kind, we have not brought that much and yet we already have everything. So many family and friends have brought us gifts already. Before Brooke finished work she was coming home with a couple of gifts a day from her work friends. So, try stop yourself (well your wife) from buying too much as you will get more gifts than one baby can make do with. Brooke had a baby shower too and the kindness of family and friends was very overwhelming.
My mates took me out for my last hurrah in what they called my “Man Shower”. The mother to be gets to have a baby shower, so it’s only fair the father to be gets a night out on the town before the baby comes. This event started at 4.30 in the afternoon and I didn’t get home til 4.30 the next morning. Big Night!
As Brooke can go into labour any day now, I’m a bit nervous about the whole fatherhood business. I’m told nothing will prepare for what I’m about to embark on, but it’s the most enjoyable experience you’ll ever get to go through. I am excited to meet my baby though. I’m hoping for a boy. Although majority of our family & friends are predicting it’s going to be a girl. End of the day I’m hoping we’ll have a healthy baby and the gender of it wouldn’t matter.
We had our third and final class of the birthing class series. The final one was about breast feeding. I must admit when Brooke signed me up for this particular class I was wondering why on earth I need to be there. On the day of the class as we were heading to the class I was thinking to myself please I don’t want to be the only male in the class. To my relief there were blokes in that class and I also bumped into a work colleague (another bloke) who was there with the same thoughts as me.
Even though this class is more suited to mothers to be, as the fathers it was good to get information about the importance of breast feeding, the frequency of feeding the baby and the technique of breast feeding. Who would’ve thought there would be a technique involved in getting the baby to feed from the breast? If you get a chance please attend, you know there will be other blokes there too.
We have been busy with cleaning and setting up the baby’s room. We got the carpets cleaned in the house. I put the cot and the bassinet together. The car got detailed and the baby seat was installed. We also got a cooling unit installed for the house.
We’ve had 2 visits the obstetrician since my last update. The verdict is baby is doing fine. We also had another ultra sound. Since the baby has grown you couldn’t see the baby as a whole on the screen. We could only see the baby in sections. The verdict there is the baby is coming along as it should.
With 3weeks to go, Brooke has been struggling quite a bit lately. She has been quite emotional. She has burst into tears for no reason at times. There is nothing you can do to stop it when it happens just shut up and give your partner a back rub or something. She has been getting stomach cramps, leg cramps and back pains. She hasn’t been sleeping well at nights for the reasons mentioned.
Brooke started maternity leave as of last Wednesday, so she worked up to 3 ½ weeks. I think she is struggling to cope with being home by herself and is missing the mental stimulation of her work as well as her friends. She is really missing that her family are 1 ½ hours away and that she can’t call in on them when she is bored or down. One of her best friends is around the corner so I know that provides her with piece of mind in case she goes into labour at home and I am at work.
She also has got this urge to clean all the time. So much so, that I walked into the house the other day after work and I found her doing the ironing. She never irons!! I do all the ironing in the house. She has even woken up in the night and cleaned, it’s crazy. Last night she went to make me a cup of tea, noticed a mark on the stove top and HAD to clean it there and then; it was 20 minutes before we had a cup of tea but the stove gleamed. The house has never looked so good!
Brooke is looking really well. She is carrying rather big, but from behind you can’t tell she is pregnant (except for the waddle). She is the same weight that she was at the start of the pregnancy despite her big belly, so I know she is really happy with that. People are always commenting that she is glowing. She has been lucky as her face has not swelled like some ladies can. Her feet got swollen at the funeral, but her friend told her to put her feet in ice cold water and elevate them on pillows at night and she was lucky that they have been normal since.
People have been so kind, we have not brought that much and yet we already have everything. So many family and friends have brought us gifts already. Before Brooke finished work she was coming home with a couple of gifts a day from her work friends. So, try stop yourself (well your wife) from buying too much as you will get more gifts than one baby can make do with. Brooke had a baby shower too and the kindness of family and friends was very overwhelming.
My mates took me out for my last hurrah in what they called my “Man Shower”. The mother to be gets to have a baby shower, so it’s only fair the father to be gets a night out on the town before the baby comes. This event started at 4.30 in the afternoon and I didn’t get home til 4.30 the next morning. Big Night!
As Brooke can go into labour any day now, I’m a bit nervous about the whole fatherhood business. I’m told nothing will prepare for what I’m about to embark on, but it’s the most enjoyable experience you’ll ever get to go through. I am excited to meet my baby though. I’m hoping for a boy. Although majority of our family & friends are predicting it’s going to be a girl. End of the day I’m hoping we’ll have a healthy baby and the gender of it wouldn’t matter.
Junior@20wks
